Notes on the Early Literature of Chemistry ...

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EARLY LITERATURE OF CHEMISTRY.

II. CAURINGTON BOLTON, I'M.!),

TI.

?iPTRIIS EBEII.S, THE EAKIIEST HEBICAI. WORK EXTANT.

IHeprinleil from th.B American Chemist for November, 1375,1

P II T L A D E 1, 1" 1-1 i A :

COLLINS, PRINTER, 705 JAVNK STREKT.

1875.

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NOTES ON rnH KAELY LITERATURE OF
CHEMISTRY.

In article IT. of these Notes* mention was made of
the most ancient cliemical niamiscript extant, a Greek
papjrua of Egyptian origin, preserved in the library of
the Uaiversity of Leydec, and supposed to date from
the third oentnry A. D. Thia manuacript has never
been fully described, the little known of it is contained
in Sopp's BeitrUge der Chemie, vol. i. p, 97.

Quite recently the Astor Library,+ New York, has
come into the possession of a work far surpassing in
antiquity the Leyden manuscript, and of infinitely
greater interest and value to the student of the history
of chemistry, This remarkable work is a fac-simile of
an Egyptian medical treatise, written in the sixteenth
century B. C, and consequently more than 3400 years
old, Though strictly a medical work, it is of no less
interest to the chemist than to the physician, and may
therefore find appropriate mention in these Notes on
the Early Literature of Chemistty.

G. F. Eodwell, F.E.S., author of " The Birth of
Chemistry," in a recent letter to the Editor of the
Chemical News, refei-s to oor knowledge of Egyptian
chemistry in the following language : " When we re-

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raember that tho science origitiated in Egypt, mid that
the very name is derived from an Egyptian source, we
can but hope that, in the progiess of Egyptian dis-
covery, as valuable information in regard to the history
of chemistry as has already been found in regard to
flsti'onomy, mny be brought to light."

This Egyptian papyms is a fii-st and opporlune re-
spoQse to the desire herein expressed. The title reads
ttins:—

" Papykos Ebbhs, das Hwmetische Buck Uier die
Ai'znetTmCtel der alien jSgi/pter j» Hieratischer
Schrift. Heransgegeben mit Inhaltsangabe und Ein-
leitung versehen von Georg Bbers. Mit Hierogly-
physch Lateijiisclien Glossar von Ludwig Stem. Mit
TJnterBtUtanng des Koniglicb Saebeischen CnltuB Miaia-
terinm. Wilhelm Bngelman. Leipzig, 1875. Zwei
Bande, folio."

Translated, tlie title is as follows : —

Papyrus Ebers, the Hermetic Book of Medicine of
the Ancient Egyptians, in Hieratic writing. Pub-
lished, with Synopsisof Contents and Introdnction, by
George Ebers. With a Hieroglyphic-Iiatiii Glossary
by Lndwig Stern. Under the patronage of the Eoyal
Bureau of Education in Baxony. Leipzig : William
Engelman, 1875, 2 vols, folio.

The papyrus of which this work is a fac-simile repro-
duction, was discovered by the archseologist Ebers
during his visit to Egypt in the winter of 1872-73.
Ebers and his friend Stern were residing at Thebes,
collecting archasological data, and there became ac-
quainted with a well-to-do Arab from Luxor, who
brought to them for sale a modem image of Osiris, and
a papyrus of no special value. Suspecting that the
Arab was holding in reserve objects of gi-eater interest,
Ebers offered him a considerable sum for any remark-
able specimens ia his possession. This induced the
Arab to return on the following day, bringing with
him a metallic case containing a papyrus roll enveloped
in mummy cloths. Ebers immediately perceived he
had a prize, but was unable to command the large snm
of money demanded for it, until provided with the

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3

means through the liberality of a German gentleman,
Max GUnther, travelling' in that vicinity.

According to the Arab's oecoiint, the papyrns had
been discovered fourteen yeara previously by a man
since dead. The original papyrns was discovered be-
tween the bones of a mummy in a tomb of the Tlieban
Necropolis.

Bbers hastened back to Leipzig with his precious
roll, and deposited it for safe keeping in the University
Library of that city. And now, with the co-operation
of an enterprising publisher, and the assistance of royal
patronage, he places it at the disposal of the civilized
world by reproducing it in these handsome volumes.

The papyrns, as received by Ebevs, consisted of a
single, solidly rolled sheet of yellow-brown papynis of
finest quality, o'3 metre wide, and 2023 metres long.
It fornied one enormous book, but was divided int* no
pages, which were carefully numbered. For purposes
of preservation and exhibition in convenient form the
toll has since been cnt into several lengths.

The writing, which is esceedingly clear and regular,
is partly in black and partly in red ink, the latter oc
earring at the heads of sections and in the espi-ession
of weights and measures. The characters are known
as Hieratic, being a cursive form of the Hieroglyphic
method of writing, and bearing the same relation to the
latter that onr ordinary written hand does to printed
characters. Hieratic script resulted from attempts to
simplify the forms and outliaea of the ideographic charac-
ters employed in hieroglyphic writing, which is essen-
tially a combination of picture writing with a phonetic
system. Hieroglyphics, in ancient Egypt, was the
written language of the people, and Hieratic writing
was chiefly confined to the sacerdotal caste.

The papyrus Bbers is so niarvellonsly well preserved
that not a single letter is lacking in the entire roll.
The material of the papyrus itself, the inner bark of
Cypenis Papyrun, was examined by Prof. Schenck,
Professor of Botany in the University of Leipzig, who
established its identity with that of similar rolls, and
pronounced it of remarkably good manufacture.

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The ago of the maimacript was de term i tied iiy a con-
sideration of three points :—

1. Palteog-rapliic investigalions of the foi'in of tlio
written characters.

2. Occarrence of names of Idn^s.

3. Examiiiiition of a calendar which occurs on the
back of the flrat page.

These data enable Bbers to assign the writing to the
middle of the sixteenth century, or, more precisely,
1552 B. C. Accepting this date — and it has been
established beyond reasonable doubt — the writing was
prior to the esodns of the Israelites; in fact, according
to the commonly received chronology, Moses, in 1553
B. 0., was just 21 years of age. ^

The authorship of this ancient work is not reyealed,
but it bears internal evidence of being one of the six
Hermetic Books on Medicine named by Clement of
Alexandria (200 A. D.).

The Egyptian priests, who were also the physicians,
in order to give greater authority to their wi-itings,
were wont to ascribe them to their gods, and their
codified medical knowledge was generally ascribed to
the god Thuti (or Thoth). In proof of Uiis Ebera
quotes the following passage from page 1, lines 8 and
9, of the papyrus in question ; " Ea pities the sick ;
his teacher is Thnti, who gives him speech, who makes
this book, and gives the instruction to scholars, and to
physicians in their succession "

This god Thuli also written Thothand laaut is the
famous Herme'i Tiismegistus of the Gieeks the sami
who was legarded by the alchemists of the M ddle
Ages with superstitious reieience a'' the father of
alchemy

Howtvei this mi3 be n\l historaiis accord in
rep (.senting Hermes as the inventor of aits and
sctncesi He first taught the Egyptians writing in
ventfd arithmetic geometry astronomy and music
gave laws to the people and regulated then leligioua
ceremonies

At the time of Jamblicl us «holned 4. I) s^j the
priests of Fgjpt slowed foitvtno I oLs wh ch they

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attributed to Hermes (Thuti). Of tliese, accovding to
that author, thirty-six contained the history of all
human knowledge; the last six of which treated of
anatomy of difiease, of affections of the eye, instruments
of sargery, and medicioes.

The papyrus Ebers is indisputahly one of these
ancient Hermetic woriss ; a study of the synopsis of the
contents, given further on, will justify this belief

The recipes and prescriptions contained iu this
treatise are evidently collected from various sources,
some of them being quoted from still more ancient
writings. It bears internal evidence of having heen
used in the healing art, for the word " good" oceura
in the margin in several places, written in a different
handwriting from the body of the work, and with
lighter colored ink.

Ebers thinks the compilation was made by the Col-
lege of Priests ftl Thebes, basing hia conjecture partly
on the locality in which it was discovered. I'lie othei'
great Egyptian Universities were located at Memphis,
Heliopolis, Sals, and Ohennu.

Ebers gives a synopsis of the contents of the entire
work, and a literal translation of the first two pages of
the roll, reserving a commentary and fuller translation
for a future publication. A hieroglyphic translation
of a portion of the Hieratic manuscript also accompa-
nies the plates; the latter, 107 in number, are feithful
and beautiful reproductions of the original papyrus, in
the same yellow-brown color. The second volume
contains a Hieroglyphic-Latin Glossary by Stern.
Before proceeding to give details of its contents, oue
more peculiarity is worth mentioning. Though the pages
are carefully numbered, the flgnres z8 and 29 are omit-
ted, while the text is continuons. Ebers conjectures
that the writer either accidentally forgot his count,
or abstained from using these numbers for superstitious
reasons, the discussion of which we cannot here enter

As already remarked, the work is divided into chap-
ters or sections. We cannot give Ebers' synopsis in
full, but a fair insight into the character of the treatise

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tions and conjurations, from which the pviestly physi-
cians conld not abstain, still tlieve is no hocuspouus nor
gibberish in it. on the contrary, it sbows that it was
possible to write in the l6th Centui'j B. 0., complex
recipes, and that they understood how to administei-
with care the medicines prescribed. Moreover, sorcery
was forbidden in ancient times ia the strongest manner,
and the alchemiatic Magi were punished in the reign
of Barneses III. with deatJi. The art of the physician
was lost in the post-Christian era. Science became
more and more tinged with magic, and was gradually
obscured and degraded bj it.

We cannot do better, in conclusion, than to quote the
testimony of the learned Librarian of the Astor, with
reference to the intvinsic value of this papyrus ; he

■'It is hardly possible to exaggerate the literary, sci-
entific, and historical importance of this remarkable
document. It is the largest, best preserved, and most
legible text in the language of Hieroglyphics, and does
not speak vaguely of incomprehensible and fantastic
ideas, hut furn\she3 indubitable insight into different
phases of the life of the ancient Egyptians."

School of Mibes, Coj-ujiitii College, N. Y.
November, 1S75.

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